Planning commission to consider further Mile Square zoning changes to spur development

The planning commission will discuss another set of zoning changes this week, with the goal of attracting residential redevelopment for student rentals near campus.

Approximately two blocks bound by S. Campus Avenue and S. Poplar Street — directly adjacent to Student Health Services and the Rec — will be rezoned to allow three distinct families per unit, instead of two. Previously, this area, noted on the map, was zoned for two families per dwelling unit.

Oxford municipal codes define a family as blood, marriage or adoption relatives, or a group of (at most) four unrelated people using a common entrance to a housing unit. Three-family houses, then, can house up to 12 students. These three-family zoning districts are “generally located in areas adjacent to major thoroughfares and commercial areas,” according to Oxford’s municipal codes.

The goal, the proposal by Oxford staff dictates, is to preserve and enhance the Mile Square’s “small town college character,” while encouraging rental locations for students near campus.

“[This area] is, I imagine, 100 percent rental property,” G. Alan Kyger, economic development director, wrote in his comments. “So, if the rezoning encourages re-development [sic] of these older multi-family units, all is good.”

The planning commission will discuss these zoning changes in an open meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 10 in the municipal building.